Device for preventing refilling of bottles.



Pa tented Feb. l2, I901.

W0. WWW.

W. J. KU-LTS. DEVICE FUR PREVENTING BEFILLING 0F BOTTLES.

(Application filed. May 8, 1899.)

(No lModei.)

Parnnr Unmet,

WILLIAM J. KOLTS, OF KINGSTON, NEW YORK.

lZllE Jl SlE-i FUR PRlEllEhlTlhlG HEFlLLlNG OF BOTTLES.

SLPECIFICATTUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,105, datedFebruary 12, 1901.

Application filed May 8. 1899- $erial No. 716067. (No model- 7 To (ZZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that T, WILLIAM J. KOLTS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kingston, in the county of Ulster and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for PreventingRefilling of Bottles, of which the followingis aspeciiication.

My invention relates to an improved device to prevent the refilling ofbottles, consisting of three essential parts, viz:

First. A stopper of suitable material consisting of three parts -a corkcylinder, a glass stopper, and an expansion-ring. The stopper is locatedin the upper part of the neck of a bottle.

Second. A perforated glass cylinder located in the neck of a bottle justbelow the stopper. The glass cylinder is also provided with anexpansion-ring.

Third. A valve consisting of four parts-a floating valve of somesuitable material, a spiral spring, a cork cylinder, and a glasscylinder. The valve is located in the lower part of the neck of thebottle.

The glass stopper is supplied with an expansion-ring which tits in anannular groove in the glass stopper and in an internal annular groove inthe upper part of the neck of the bottle, partially filling bothgrooves, and thus permanently preventing the stopper from being drawnafter it has been placed in position without breaking off the upper partof the neck of the bottle. The lower part of the glass stopper fitssnugly into a cork cylinder. The objects of the cork cylinder aretwofold-first, to receive the lower part of the glass stopper, thusrendering the bottle tight, and, second, to expand over the rough edgeof the neck of the bottle, and thus prevent the chips of glass fromgetting into the bottle when the upper part of the neck has been brokenoil and the stopper removed.

The perforated glass cylinder is supplied with an expansion-ring whichfits in an an nular groove in the upper part of the cylinder and in aninternal annular groove in the neck of the bottle, partially fillingboth grooves, thus preventing the glass cylinder from being forcedeither in or out and hold ing it permanently in position. The object ofthis perforated cylinder is to prevent tampering with the valve, thesaid valve being located just below the cylinder.

The ball valve is made of some floating material. The ball has a lowertapered part which has aslot iuinningthrough the tapered part from sideto side and from the ball to within a short distance from the end of thetapered part. There is also a hole in the end of the tapered part,running vertically through its center to the slot. The hole and slot areto receive the central shaft and hook oi the spiral spring and are veryimportant features in the device.

The spiral spring is made of some suitable material coated with tin andhas a straight central shaft projecting upward through the center of thespring. The straight central shaft has a hook on its upper end. Thishook is bent at right angles with the central shaft. The spiral springrests against the bottom of the cork cylinder, with the straight centralshaft projecting upward through the hole in the center of the bottom ofthe tapered part of the ball-valve and the hook resting against thelowershoulderof the slot. The object of the spring is to hold theball-valve in position.

The upper external edge of the cork expands in an internal annular ringin the neck of the bottle, thus preventing the valve from being forcedout by the glass weightcyli nder. The bottom of the cork forms a seatfor the spiral spring and the top or the cylinder forms a seat for theball-valve.

The glass weight-cylinder is loose in the bottle. The object of thisweight is to depress the spiral spring, thus allowing the contents ofthe bottle to flow past the ball-valve.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a bottle with astopper which will allow the contents orliquid to be poured outandprevent refilling the bottle by inverting, laying the bottle on itsside, by shaking, or any other possible means; second, to affordfacilities for the proper insertion and securing of the stopper into theneck of the bottle, and, third, to prevent any means of entrance intothe bottle from the upper exposed part of the neck, so that the valvecannot be tampered with in any possible manner. I attain these objectsby the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the whole device as seen insertedin position in, the neck of a bottle, the part of the bottle below thecurve of the neck being broken off and of ordinary shape. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the neck of'a bottle inverted and with the upperpart of the neekbroken off and the glass stopper drawn and theball-valve open, the whole figure showing the several parts in positionas they would be While'the contents are being poured out.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the two views.

In the drawings the bottle, with its, upper vertical neck, is indicatedby P, its upper internal annular groove by T, its central internalannular groove by S, and its lower internal annular groove by R. Theexternal annular groove is indicated by U. The upper groove T has itsupper shoulder at right angles with the perpendicular and its lowershoulder cut away to the form of an acute angle. This is to facilitatethe insertion of the expansion-ring of the glass perforated cylinder.The central groove S has both of its shoulders at right angles with theperpendicular. The-lower annular groove S has its upper shoulder atright angles with the perpendicular and its lowershoulder cut away inthe form of an acute angle. The external annular groove Uin the upperpart of the neck is to facilitate the breaking off of the upper part ofthe neck of the bottle.

A is a glass stopper with an external annular groove with both shouldersat right angles "with the perpendicular.

D is an expansion-ring, of some suitable material, and is coated withtin. When this ring is pressed in position, the glass stopper is enabledto enter the bottleneck to position. Then the ring will increase indiameter and partially fill both the groove in the glass stop per andthe groove in the upper part of the neck, resting against itsright-angled shoulder, and thus retaining the stopper in permanentposition or until the upper part of the neck of the bottle has beenbroken off at U.

The right-angled shoulder in the bottleneck, with the lower part cutaway to the form of an acute angle, is very important, for, while withthe expansion-ring in the glass stopper it effectually prevents thestopper from being drawn, it allows the expansion-ring E in the glasscylinder 0 to pass to its proper position at S.

O is a cork cylinder with its opening slightly smaller than the lowerpart of the glass stopper A. Thus when the lower part of the stopper isforced into the opening in the cork cylinder the cork iscompressed'between the neck of the bottle and the lower part of theglass stopper, making the bottle perfectly tight. The second object inhaving the cork cylinder 0 is that when the upper part of the neck ofthe bottle has been broken off at U the upper external edge of the corkwill expand over the rough edge of the broken part of the neckdirections.

and will prevent the glass chips from getting in the bottle;

0 is a perforated glass cylinder with an external annular groove in itsupper part. The perforations start in the center of the cylinder, one atthe top and one at the bottom. Then the said perforations run verticallyfor a short distance and branch off in opposite The angles of theperforations are rounded to facilitate the flow of the liquid. Theexternal part of the cylinder is cutaway to allow the liquid to flowfreely from one perforation to the other.

E is an expansion-ring which fits into the groove in the glass cylinderand into the internal annular groove S in the neck of the bottle,partially filling both grooves and thus effectually and permanentlypreventing the glass cylinder from being removed or forced into thebottle. The object of this perforated cylinder is to prevent tamperingwith the valve by means of wire or any other substance from the outside.

H is a ball-valve with a lower tapered part. This valve is made of somefloating material. The lower tapered part of the valve has a slot fromthe ball to within a short distance from the end and a hole from the endto the slot. The object of this slot and hole and of making the valve ofsome floating materialis to prevent the bottle from being refilled forthe following reasons: When the bottle is inverted and the spring Kdepressed by the glass weight L, the ball-valve H will float in anyliquid forced in the neck of the bottle and will rest against its seaton the cork cylinder I, thus effectually closing the bottle. The slot inthe tapered part of the valve H is made long enough so that the hook onthe central shaft of the spring K may move freely when the spring isdepressed and so allow the valve to float. The hole in the end of thetapered part of the floating valve H is to allow the straight centralshaft of the spring K to pass through and must be just large enough toadmit the shaft to slide freely. The hook at the end of the centralshaft rests against the lower shoulder of the slot in the tapered partof the valve H, and thus prevents the said valve from dropping out ofposition.

K is a spiral spring with a straight central shaft, the said shafthaving a hook on its upper end. The upper part of the spring 70 has itsseat on the under surface of the cork cylinder I, and the straightcentral shaft projects upward through the spring into the opening of thecork cylinder, and the hook on the said shaft is hooked through the holeand into the slot of the tapered part of the valve II. The object of thespringlc is to hold the ballvalve H against its seat on the upperinternal edge of the cork cylinder I, and thus prevent the bottle frombeing refilled when standing up, or when on its side, or while beingshaken.

I is a cork cylinder fitting the neck of the bottle snugly. The upperedge of the said cork cylinder I expands into the internal annulargroove R in the neck of the bottle, thus preventing the valve H frombeing forced outward. The bottom surface of the cork cylinder also formsa seat for the top of the spring K.

L is a glass cylii'ider-weight sufficiently heavy to depress the springK when the bottle is inverted, thus allowing the liquid to flowpasttheball-valve H. This weightis allowed to play loosely in the bodypart of the bottle.

in order to pour out the contents of the bottle, it is necessary to tapthe neck of the bottle at U, thus breaking off the upper portion of theneck. The glass stopper is then drawn. Now when the bottle is invertedthe weight ll engages the bottom of the spring K. thus compressing thesaid spring and allowing the valve H to open. The liquid then passesthrough the center of the cork cylinder 1, past the valve ll, throughthe two pert'orations in the glass cylinder 0, through the centeropening of the cork cylinder 0 and out.

The device is so constructed and arranged, as set forth, that it isimpossible to refill the bottle, the spiral spring K always holding thevalve ll against its seaton cork cylinderI when the bottle is upright,on its side, or while being shaken, and the valve H being made offloating material will always seek its seat against the cork cylinder Iifattempts should be made to force liquid into the bottle while the saidbottle should he in an inverted position, the slot in the tapered partof the valve ll being long enough to allow for any depression of thehook and central shaft of the spring K due to the weight L resting onthe spring K, the hook on the end of the central shaft of the springpassing freely up or down in the slot and the shaft of the springpassing freely through the hole in the end of the tapered part of thevalve.

The Weight L on the lower part of the spring is essential to open thevalve.

Any attempt to probe the device is frustrated by the peculiarconstruction of the perforated glass cylinder 0, because theperforations of the said cylinder are out of a vertical line. This partof the device is very important.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a bottle to prevent refilling, a valve, composed of a floatingball-valve H with a tapered lower part which has a slot through fromside to side and a hole from the end to the slot, a spiral spring K witha straight central shaft with a hook bent on its end at right angleswith the shaft, a cork cylinder I with an opening large enough to freelyadmit the tapered part of the valve H, and a glass weight-cylinder L tooperate the valve.

2. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination, with a perforated corkprovided with a valve-seat, of a spherical valve on one side of the corkprovided with a projection adapted to enter the perforation, a springupon the opposite side of the cork, the outer end of which is bent at anangle and passes axially through the spring and engages with theprojection on the valve, a guard above the cork, and a weight within thebottle to compress the spring.

3. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination, with the neck of thebottle, theinteriorof which is provided with two annular grooves, of aperforated cork in the neck with its outer end projecting into one ofthe grooves, a valve on the cork, a glass cylinder in the neck beyondthe cork, the periphery of which is provided with circumferentialgrooves, one of which registers with the other groove in the neck, theends of the cylinder being provided with channels which communicate withthe other groove around the cylinder and an eX- pansion-ring in theregistering grooves of the neck and cylinder.

\VILLIAM J. KOLTS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. HILLYER, FREDERIOH STEPHAN, Jr.

